Genus Calotropis: A Hub of Medicinally Active Phytoconstituents

Traditional medicines derived from plant and other natural sources have several advantages over synthetic drugs when used for the management of pathological conditions. Natural product based therapies are safer than synthetic drugs-based chemotherapies. One of such sources of bioactive molecules includes C. procera and C. gigantea, flowering herbal plants, belonging to the genus Calotropis, family Apocynaceae, which, due to their diverse pharmacological profile, have been widely employed in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and other traditional systems for the treatment of various diseases. The various parts of this plant are rich in phytoconstituents such as cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, phenolic compounds, proteins etc. Due to the presence of multiple constituents, this plant possess diverse biological activities such as analgesic, antitumor, antihelmintic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antidiarrhoeal, anticonvulsant, antimicrobial, oestrogenic, antinociceptive, antimalarial activity etc. The present review provides comprehensive information about various phytochemical constituents of the plant along with their medicinal importance.